These are challenging times, and it’s not surprising to hear that many marriages are in trouble. Lockdowns and quarantines brought many couples face to face with core issues in their relationships, and pandemic-related financial difficulties have added further stress.
But there’s nothing new about marital trouble. “The union of the sexes suffers fearful discord,” Mary Baker Eddy observed more than a century ago (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 65). And her guidance in the next sentence is timeless: “To gain Christian Science and its harmony, life should be more metaphysically regarded.”
For sure, it’s daunting to try to be the man or woman who can help oneself and one’s spouse through life’s challenges, but we can turn to God as the unlimited source of wisdom and strength. The unity of hearts and unselfishness of purpose that marriage signifies, and the blessing of this union, aren’t somehow lost at a time when they’re needed the most. They are here to be found in God. We just need to seek these divine qualities in a more Christly view of life, marriage, and selfhood.
